[Overview]
<p>Although its stats might indicate otherwise, Deoxys-D is the premier offensive lead Spiker in the OU metagame. Its base 90 Speed stat allows it to outpace just what it needs to, while its enormous bulk makes it nearly impossible to take down in one blow, allowing the user to get at least one, if not two, layers of entry hazards up. This consistency appeals to many players, and as the generation has progressed, so has Deoxys-D's recognition as one of the best. Not only does it have the tools necessary to be a great Spiker, but it can also run certain moves to ensure that its work cannot be blown away by common Rapid Spin users. It has essentially defined the new, fast-paced BW2 metagame, as it is used on nearly every hyper offensive (specifically weatherless offensive) team. Unfortunately for Deoxys-D, it is a Psychic-type, which leaves it vulnerable to many common attackers, most notably Genesect and Tyranitar. It also has no way of breaking through either of the Magic Bounce users, Espeon and Xatu, rendering it essentially useless as long as those Pokemon are in battle. Despite these flaws, Deoxys-D has risen up to the cream of the crop, firmly holding a position as one of the elite Pokemon in OU.</p>
[SET]
name: Speedy Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Magic Coat / Night Shade
item: Rocky Helmet / Mental Herb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Deoxys-D's solid Speed and bulk make it a fantastic fast Spiker. This set is especially effective at being a suicide lead because of its ability to set up multiple layers of entry hazards. The primary purpose of this set is to set up as many entry hazards as possible while preventing opponents from setting up their own entry hazards. As such, you shouldn't play with this set conservatively, especially if you see that your opponent doesn't have a spinner or Magic Bounce user. With its high bulk, opponents will be hard-pressed to prevent Deoxys-D from getting two layers of entry hazards up. Its above-average Speed allows it to prevent Pokemon such as Hippodown and Skarmory from setting up entry hazards of their own with the use of Taunt. It also has the benefit of guaranteeing that Deoxys-D won't be setup bait for Pokemon such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Gyarados.</p>
<p>The last moveslot depends on what you want Deoxys-D to beat. Magic Coat can be used as with proper prediction, it can cause major headaches for your opponent. It allows Deoxys-D to reflect Taunts aimed at it so that it can set up entry hazards undeterred. It is also incredibly convenient if you are facing an opposing Deoxys-D, as it will bounce back Taunt and render your opponent's Deoxys-D useless. On the other hand, with Night Shade, it is a solid counter to Calm Mind Reuniclus. It is able to Taunt Reuniclus to prevent it from using Calm Mind and Recover, then dispatching it with Night Shade. Do be warned that if Reuniclus has Shadow Ball, Deoxys-D will always lose. Night Shade also has the added benefit of preventing faster Pokemon such as Gengar and Terrakion from setting up a Substitute on you.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread provided allows Deoxys-D to maintain a good amount of bulk while being relatively fast. This set plays as a suicide lead, so it is strongly recommended that you don't take any EVs out of Speed, as it will greatly reduce Deoxys-D's effectiveness. Although it may seem odd, Rocky Helmet is an excellent item for its ability to rack up damage. Forretress can no longer PP stall your hazard moves with Rapid Spin, as Rocky Helmet will quickly deteriorate its health. Mental Herb is also useful, as it ensures Deoxys-D will get a Taunt off against opposing Taunt users. It has the advantage over Magic Coat in the sense that it does not require a moveslot and demands much less prediction. Seismic Toss can be used over Night Shade for its ability to hit Normal-types such as Blissey and Chansey. Thunder Wave allows Deoxys-D to prevent itself from being setup bait for the likes of Dragon Dance Salamence and Dragonite. Tanga Berry can be used so Deoxys-D takes less damage from prominent Bug-type attacks from the likes of Genesect and Scizor, allowing Deoxys-D to set up multiple layers of entry hazards. Leftovers gets a mention for giving Deoxys-D some form of recovery, but is generally inferior to the items provided.</p>
<p>This set should be used on offensive teams, and as such, offensive Pokemon such as Terrakion and Salamence are good teammates. Terrakion appreciates entry hazards to weaken its opponents and cause major damage to every Pokemon it touches. Salamence also enjoys entry hazard support, but appreciates Deoxys-D's ability to prevent hazards being set up even more. Gengar is a particularly good teammate, as it can ensure Deoxys-D's entry hazards will not be spun away, while keeping the offensive momentum going. Generally speaking, anything fast and powerful is a good teammate as entry hazards help them reach their goal of causing misery to the opponent. There are some Pokemon that Deoxys-D has trouble setting up entry hazards against, and it is important to have a teammate in reserve to handle them. Genesect and Scizor are both troublesome for Deoxys-D, as they both dent it with their strong U-turns, with Genesect being able to cripple it even further with Bug Buzz. As such, Heatran is an excellent partner because it can roast Genesect and Scizor with Fire Blast, and its base 130 Special Attack will heavily damage many Pokemon, especially with entry hazards support. Tyranitar is also a pain for Deoxys-D, as it can deal heavy damage to Deoxys-D with STAB Crunch. Fighting-types, such as Lucario and Terrakion, can take advantage of Tyranitar and depending on its moveset, even set up on it.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Thunder
move 4: Psycho Boost
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a different stance on the suicide lead aspect. One of the biggest problems with the speedy Spiker is that it is extremely vulnerable to having its entry hazards spun away by the likes of Forretress and Starmie. This set alleviates these problems. Hidden Power Fire destroys Forretress, ensuring that it will not get away with spinning away your hard work. It also has the added benefit of roasting Scizor, a common switch-in to Deoxys-D. Although Thunder seems like an odd option over Hidden Power Fire, it allows Deoxys-D to OHKO Starmie, letting you set up entry hazards in peace. Now, while the offensive Spiker is effective at removing certain threats, one must not forget what its main purpose is: to set up entry hazards. This set maintains plenty of Speed and is able to set up entry hazards on slower threats with ease.</p>
<p>A Modest nature along with Special Attack investment is required to let Deoxys-D damage as much as possible. Unfortunately, full Special Attack and Speed investment means that Deoxys-D isn't as good at taking hits as one might think. Psycho Boost is its strongest STAB and with a Life Orb boost is actually quite strong. It lets Deoxys-D OHKO Tentacruel, ensuring its lifespan is greatly reduced. It is a generally strong move, being able to OHKO offensive Pokemon like Haxorus. The move you decide to use in the last slot is heavily dependent on your team. If your team prefers Starmie being eliminated, you should choose Thunder over Hidden Power Fire. Hidden Power Fire is useful for crippling Steel-types that may cause your teammates struggles.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Timid nature can be used in order to give Deoxys-D as much Speed as possible, but be warned that Deoxys-D misses out on several key KOs. Fire Gem is a good option to use over Life Orb, as it allows Deoxys-D to maintain its ability to OHKO Steel-types such as Forretress and Scizor, while not inflicting recoil damage. Electric Gem is an option to pair with Thunderbolt, as an Electric Gem-boosted Thunderbolt OHKOes Starmie without having to rely on Thunder's shaky 70% accuracy. While the lack of recoil might seem enticing, you should be warned that Psycho Boost will be considerably weaker without the Life Orb boost. Pairing Thunderbolt with Life Orb is useful if you do not like Thunder's accuracy, but it fails to OHKO Starmie. Superpower gets a mention for being able to deal heavy damage to Tyranitar, although you have to invest in Attack and change to a nature that does not hinder Attack to OHKO.</p>
<p>This set should be used on heavy offensive teams that can't spare a teamslot for a Ghost-type. It should also be noted that Deoxys-D is incredibly vulnerable to Taunt and Magic Bounce users such as Espeon and Xatu. As such, Choice Band Tyranitar is a good teammate for its ability to OHKO Espeon and Xatu, while being able to deal heavy damage to many Taunt users such as opposing Deoxys-D and Azelf. Ironically, Tyranitar is a also huge problem for Deoxys-D, so carrying a Pokemon such as Terrakion or Lucario is a good idea. Both can OHKO Tyranitar with Close Combat or set up a Swords Dance to wreak havoc on the rest of the opponent's team. Volcarona will often attempt to set up on Deoxys-D, so it is a good idea to carry a Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus or Terrakion to ensure it doesn't destroy your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Light Clay
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Deoxys-D can make good use of its high bulk and Speed to run an efficient dual screens set. While one might think that a faster Pokemon such as Azelf would be a better option to set up a hyper offensive attack, Deoxys-D fairs just as well;—sometimes even better. With its base 90 Speed, it is able to outrun a good amount of Pokemon, and consequently set up screens before they can attack. Its high bulk is useful as even if it faces a strong attack, it's more than likely still able to set up a screen. This set separates itself from dual screen Espeon as even though it is unable to reflect hazards, Deoxys-D is able to use its bulk to set up screens at multiple points in a game, something Espeon struggles to accomplish. Deoxys-D can also prevent entry hazards from being set up on it by slower Pokemon through the use of Taunt.</p>
<p>The moveset and item are fairly self-explanatory for this set. Reflect and Light Screen are the crux of this set, allowing Deoxys-D to support its teammates phenomenally. Light Clay is crucial for its ability to extend the duration of Reflect and Light Screen for 3 more turns. Taunt is useful for its ability to prevent slower Pokemon from setting up on Deoxys-D, an incredible asset considering its above-average Speed. Stealth Rock allows Deoxys-D to further expand on its supporting ability by helping its teammates finish off opponents that would usually be KOed with the lack of Stealth Rock. An EV spread with maximum HP and Speed is most efficient as it allows Deoxys-D to maintain a good amount of bulk, while making the most of its Speed.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set is best used on hyper offensive teams that feature a multitude of setup sweepers. With dual screen support by their side, many boosters are able to get up the multiple boosts needed to sweep an opposing team. Fortunately for this Deoxys-D, it does not fear Tyranitar nearly as much as the other sets do. Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch is reduced from a OHKO to a 2HKO after Reflect, and defensive Tyranitar's Crunch does even less damage. Regardless, Pokemon such as Garchomp and Terrakion are excellent teammates for Deoxys-D for their ability to utilize their high bulk and transition it into multiple boosts. Honestly, as long as you aren't pairing this Deoxys-D with a Blissey, chances are that it's a good teammate, as everything enjoys taking less damage. A bulky EV spread can be used, but at that point you should consider using Cresselia, which has better overall bulk along with an immunity to Ground-type attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Recover
move 4: Night Shade
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While many of Deoxys-D's other sets take an offensive approach on the battlefield, this set is the opposite. Instead, this set aims to utilize its amazing bulk in order to set up as many layers of Spikes as possible over the duration of the game. With a fully invested Special Defense stat, Deoxys-D becomes a behemoth to take down. Even a Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor will fail to 2HKO it, suddenly transforming Deoxys-D into an enormous help to stall teams that do not want to risk an unexpected Psyshock to their Blissey or Chansey. Deoxys-D also serves the essential role of Calm Mind Reuniclus counter for stall teams—with the combination of Taunt and Night Shade, Reuniclus has no chance of beating it. With its ability to wall the vast majority of special attackers in the tier, Deoxys-D has plenty of opportunities to set up Spikes and wreak havoc.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In case you didn't notice, this set is curtailed to be used primarily on stall teams in need of a Spiker and a counter to primary stall threats such as Calm Mind Reuniclus and Choice Specs Latios. As such, good teammates include a spinblocker of any sort—you don't want your hard work going away at the simple click of a button! Jellicent is recommended as its superb bulk and reliable healing allow it to take a beating throughout what will probably be a long game considering the type of team you're using. Other partners for Deoxys-D include Pokemon that can dispose of threats such as Tyranitar and Genesect with ease, or else those two will cause a major headache. Landorus-T falls under that category, as it has no problem dealing with Tyranitar (barring the rare Ice Beam), can switch into a majority of Genesect's moves, and set up Stealth Rock. Jirachi is also an excellent choice for its ability to also set up Stealth Rock, along with being able to pass Wishes to other teammates and provide a variety of useful resistances. Blissey is also an excellent teammate because it can take blows that Deoxys-D doesn't like taking, such as attacks from Pokemon like Gengar, and can also pass Wishes to its teammates. Rapid Spin support is incredibly useful, as this set will often be switching in and out of threats, causing for a lot of residual damage to stack up. Forretress fits this bill nicely, being able to also set up Stealth Rock in the process, while Tentacruel has the added benefit of absorbing Toxic Spikes upon entry.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Despite Deoxys-D's wide movepool, in all actuality it has very limited options. You can forgo even thinking about an offensive set as despite its rather excellent coverage, Deoxys-D won't be nearly as powerful as even Pokemon like Pachirisu. A Red Card + Recycle Spikes set is nifty in the sense that it racks up residual damage rather quickly. Calm Mind and Cosmic Power fall into the same boat of Deoxys-D being too vulnerable to common status conditions such as Toxic poisoning. Likewise, Deoxys-D can utilize a set featuring Agility / Toxic / Recover / Taunt in order to stall out a good portion of the metagame; however, it is left vulnerable to literally every Poison- and Steel-type. Ice Beam can be used if you dislike the sight of the plethora of Dragon-types that will attempt to set up on you and are too fast for Taunt, such as Garchomp and Salamence. Another option is to run a basic walling set, with Taunt, Toxic, Recover, and Night Shade, although this is outclassed by some more conventional walls that have better typing, such as Skarmory, or better defenses, such as Blissey.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>For a Pokemon to be classified as a "counter" to Deoxys-D, it must be able to prevent any layers of entry hazards from being set up. Deoxys-D's main job is to ensure that entry hazards are set up on the field, so combine its high bulk with its good Speed, and it is very hard to stop it from doing its job. However, there are a few Pokemon that completely shut down Deoxys-D from getting even one layer of hazards up. Among that list includes the multiple variants of Genesect. If it gets a Special Attack boost (either from holding Choice Specs or via Download) and has Bug Buzz, Deoxys-D is OHKOed. If it is a Choice Band variant and gets an Attack boost, then U-turn achieves the OHKO. Xatu and Espeon can also be classified as counters, as Deoxys-D will actually hurt its own team if it decides to set up hazards, due to Magic Bounce. Once in play, there is little to nothing that Deoxys-D can do to affect Xatu or Espeon in any productive way. Although uncommon, Choice Band Weavile gets an honorable mention for being able to OHKO Deoxys-D with its STAB Night Slash, and can even predict a potential switch and OHKO with Pursuit.</p>
<p>Deoxys-D's list of checks is much bigger than its list of counters, and a check to Deoxys-D qualifies as limiting it to one layer of hazards. Choice Band Tyranitar is the prime example of this, achieving the OHKO with its STAB Crunch. However, one should be wary of using it as their main Deoxys-D check, as Deoxys-D is commonly paired with Pokemon such as Terrakion and Lucario, both of which have access to Justified, making Tyranitar an extreme case of being a set-up fodder. A combination of Scizor and a faster Pokemon can limit Deoxys-D to one layer of hazards, as Scizor's U-turn will put big enough of a dent into Deoxys-D for it to be picked off by most fast attackers. Gengar fears the occasional Thunder Wave, but besides that, has no problem with 2HKOing Deoxys-D with Shadow Ball, limiting it to only one layer of hazards. Volcarona is very much in the same boat as Gengar, although it has the added advantage of being able to set up on Deoxys-D with Quiver Dance, a fate few wish to go up against. Honestly, anything that can set up boosts on Deoxys-D can be classified as a check to it, as few trainers will allow their opponent to set up multiple boosts on such a susceptible Pokemon like Deoxys-D. Rock Polish Landorus and Nasty Plot Thundurus-T come to mind, as both are immune to the occasional Thunder Wave, meaning neither have any fear when it comes to setting up on Deoxys-D.</p>
<p>A fast Taunt is the enemy of all Deoxys-D lacking either Magic Coat or Mental Herb, as it disables Deoxys-D from achieving its main objective. However, using Taunt against Deoxys-D is a very risky move, as more often than not, it will be equipped with either one of the previously mentioned tools, relegating your Pokemon into an unfortunate state. Regardless, if you are a player that plays with their balls-to-the-wall and want to attempt this strategy, Prankster Pokemon, such as Tornadus and Sableye, are an effective way of doing it. Finally, a well-timed Rapid Spin can essentially be considered a counter, as it removes the work Deoxys-D might have done. However, Deoxys-D will often be paired with a Ghost-type, making Rapid Spin very hard to use.</p>
